Conner Bailey
Background Conner Jonathan Bailey (better known as Conner Bailey) is an original character from The Land of Stories series, ''and one of the two main characters of the series. Conner is a boy of school-going age (He turns 11 in the first book) from Our World who used to live in a small rental house with his twin sister Alex and his mother Charlotte. His father, John Bailey, died on the night he and his sister turned 10. While Alex stays in the Land of Stories after their second adventure in The Enchantress Returns, Conner and Charlotte move into Dr. Bob's house. At the end of A Grimm Warning, Conner decides to stay in the Land of Stories for a while too to help his sister find the Masked Man. Appearance and Personality ''"Besides sharing looks and a birth date, Alex and Conner couldn't have been more different. Conner may have had a lot of friends, but unlike his sister, he had trouble in school...mostly trouble staying awake."''TLOS I, ch 1, p. 17 Though he and Alex are twins, they haven't "looked like identical twins since they were four years old" and "Charlotte stopped dressing them in the same outfits every day"TLOS II, ch 5, p 57. Conner is described in The Wishing Spell as a popular boy who has trouble in school due to concentration problems. His teacher often negatively compares him to his sister, which makes him feel very bad about himself.TLOS I, ch 1, p. 22-23 ''"It wasn't the end of a school day unless Conner left feeling completely worthless."''TLOS I, ch 3, p. 47 His wit and "smart" remarks are attributed to being painfully honest - he occasionally embarrasses himself or Alex with it.TLOS I, ch 1, p. 17 When Conner and his sister arrive in the Land of Stories, he is far less enthusiastic about it as Alex. He is more "realistic" about the actual danger they are in than his sister, and often reminds her they should hurry on their quest and don't stop to be a "tourist". ''"We've almost been killed twice, and we haven't even been here a full day yet! We need to stop fooling around and find a way home, Alex!"TLOS I, ch 7, p. 128 Towards the end of The Wishing Spell, he finds out he is part fairy, as his father was from The Land of Stories. His grandmother is the Fairy Godmother. In the shards of the Mirror of Truth Conner's reflection has fairy wings.TLOS II, ch 20, p 360 At the start of The Enchantress Returns, Conner is called to Mrs. Peters' office and thinks he is trouble, but instead she compliments him on his writing and encourages him to continue and become a writer. It is the first time he ever considers what he might do in the future.TLOS II, ch 2 When he and Alex return to the Land of Stories and embark on their journey to save their mother, it is Conner who stays positive when everyone else seems to be giving up. He is also the one who remembers reading about the Wand of Wonderment and convinces the others they should take the chance.TLOS II, ch 14 At the end of The Enchantress Returns, Conner goes back to his own world, even though his twin sister stays in the Land of Stories. Though he is very upset about this, he does acknowledge that she is better suited for that world because she wants to be a fairy, and he doesn't. He realized he has always been more of a storyteller and would do better in their world writing fairy tales.TLOS II, ch 30 At the start of A Grimm Warning, he is invited to come on a school trip by Mrs. Peters because of his affinity for fairy tales. He is very pleased when he finds out that Bree Campbell will also be going, and although he denies it to himself for a long while, he has a crush on her. In Beyond the Kingdoms, it is mentioned he misses her quite a lot.TLOS IV, ch 8, p. 126 When he realises the Land of Stories is in danger, Conner goes to great lengths to keep it (and his sister and grandmother) safe. He's not afraid to stand up to the adults of either world when he feels they aren't listening to him, and he shows great bravery and leadership skills in the battle against the Grande Armée. Conner is described to be wary of the internet / smart phones, and prefers libraries to get his information.TLOS III, ch. 10, p. 181-182 Though he isn't interested in being a fairy or doing magic, he accepts this part of himself to help Alex become the Fairy Godmother. In Beyond the Kingdoms, his magic is needed to make the Portal Potion, and although he tries hard to get out of that responsibility, he finally gets over his fear of failure and succeeds.TLOS IV, ch 28 When Alex is close to giving up the search for the Masked Man, Conner is the one who remains positive and boosts morale.TLOS IV, ch 19, p. 257 Relationships Conner and his twin sister are very close. They often lift each other's spirits and, in A Grimm Warning, see through each other's attempts to hide their secret crushes from each other.TLOS III, ch 20 They complement each other's personalities, and together are capable of creating great magic.TLOS III, ch 27, p. 406 In Beyond the Kingdoms, Conner feels guilty for doubting her in front of the Fairy Council and feels he should have trusted her judgement more.TLOS IV, ch 10, p. 152 They both think of a way to make the portal potion at the same time, though they are trapped in separate worlds, proving once more that they 'think like twins'.TLOS IV, ch 30, p. 410 Conner easily befriends Mother Goose, finding her stories and jokes awesome, though his appreciation for her wavers when he finds out she is responsible for letting the Grand Armée threaten the Land of StoriesTLOS III, ch 15, p. 270. She regains his respect when she publically owns up to this and takes responsibility for her actions.TLOS III, ch 18. p 300 Conner has a crush on Bree Campbell and, at the end of A Grimm Warning, finds out she has a crush on him too. TLOS III, ch 30. p. 450 They eventually end up getting married and having three children. Story 1. The Wishing Spell Alex and Conner work as a team to solve the Wishing Spell's riddle and collect the items they need to return to their world. After defeating the Evil Queen, Conner finds out he is part fairy and related to the Fairy Godmother. 2. The Enchantress Returns Conner is the driving force behind their quest to assemble the Wand of Wonderment. 3. A Grimm Warning Connor and Alex are split between worlds, and it is hurting them both in many ways. When Connor finds out about the threat to the Land of Stories, he tries to contact Alex but doesn't reach her. He finally reaches Mother Goose instead, who sends him on a quest in his world to find out if a special portal to the Land of Stories has been activated again. It is- and he returns to the Land of Stories, where he helps Alex defeat the Grande Armée. He then chooses to stay in the Land of Stories to help his sister. 4. Beyond the Kingdoms Conner is afraid his sister is losing her control over her magic. After she disappears, he tries to find clues that could lead to finding the Masked Man (and Alex) and he finds out about the portal potion. He is knocked out by the Masked Man during Red and Froggy's wedding, and they quickly gather the Masked Man was there to steal books and travel into them using the portal. The quest to find the Masked Man begins. They follow him into the books, first to Oz, then to Neverland. They are lead to believe the Masked Man has gone back to the Land of Stories and try to follow him, splitting up in two groups, but they have been tricked into going in to the wrong books. Conner, the Tin Woodman and Peter Pan end up in Robin Hood's story. Conner realizes he has to make the portal potion to get back and has to tap into his own magic to make it work. He travels back to Oz, meets up with his friends, and returns to the Land of Stories to find the Fairy Palace destroyed. He and Alex prepare themselves to travel back to their own world to build their own army to defeat the Masked Man. = 5. An Author's Odyssey Conner and Alex need to make an army to battle the other army. So they go into Conner's short stories; Starboardia, The Ziblings, The Adventures of Blimp Boy, and the Galaxy Queen. They collect the characters and form an army. = 6. Worlds Collide Conner goes to find Alex in New York City. He gets help from Rusty and finds the Calvin Coolidge Express. In the end, he saves her from destroying New York City. Quotes (About the Bridge Troll) ''"How are we so sure that this is actually his bridge? I'd like to see some ownership identification before we continue".''TLOS I, ch 9, p. 164 ''"Things became awkward once Conner asked King Chandler, "Why were you so interested in a dead girl, anyway?"''TLOS I, ch 23, p. 414 ''"We can't even have a dog without it being a magical conspiracy!"''TLOS II, ch 6, p. 78 ''"Who haunts a new castle? That's like holding a grudge against a baby!"''TLOS II, ch 16 p. 268 ''"Witch, please."''TLOS II, ch 21, p. 387 ''"If I have the choice of being doubtful or being hopeful, I'm going to choose hopeful. It takes less work to be positive."''TLOS II, ch 18, p. 310 ''"Oh, come on! Alex gets to live in another dimension but I can't go on a school trip to Germany?"''TLOS III, ch 1, p. 19 ''"Alex, I've been impressed by you since the womb. I'm sure your part of the uterus was much neater and more organized than mine."''TLOS III, ch 1, p. 26 ''"Glass people shouldn't throw stones."''TLOS III, ch 17, p. 283 ''"Grandma sent you an angel moth from outer space?"''TLOS IV, ch 10, p. 153 (About the Castle of Hearts) ''"It's like Valentine's Day threw up in here."''TLOS IV, ch 19, p. 257 ''"He had always considered magic to be like math; it was a skill Alex and only Alex had inherited."''TLOS IV, ch 25, p. 360 References Category:Main Characters Category:Recurring Category:Our World Characters Category:Humans Category:Fairies Category:Twins